Buying a Laptop

Don't you love it when the updates designed to "enhance your computer's performance and security" end up breaking the damn thing?

I had a similar problem with the latest flood of Vista updates (15 or so). Startup Repair did the trick for me, though now all the updates are listed as failed.

 

I have a relatively new Dell Inspiron, it's about a year old. Nice computer, nothing too special.

Vista is a nightmare. Internet Explorer just randomly stopped working for me and luckily, I had safari and I later downloaded firefox and Chrome, but I can't get Windows updates anymore. Everything works OK, but it freaks me out a bit that that I can't get the regular updates. I've tried all of the regular sites and nothing works. When I call the help sites they say this is something that happens all the time with Vista.

 

How many GBs of memory did it have?

 

Can't disagree with any of that. I bought a Dell Studio 1535 last year and I couldn't be happier with it myself. I got it for $699 and it does everything I need it to do and then some. And it's plenty fast enough.

 

The nastiest virus I've ever encountered was on a Mac. Granted this was 10 years ago on OS 9, but this thing was an absolute menace to get rid of.

 

It's a myth that macs don't get viruses. It's just that most viruses are written to attack PCs. As more and more people go to Macs, I'll bet more viruses start popping up. Mac's OS also has performance issues as you put more and more software on them. It's not nearly as bad as Windows, but it happens nonetheless. I'm not anti-Mac, I have no problem working with them (as I do at work every day), but I won't buy one personally because of the cost factors echoed many times on this thread.

 

Well yeah, nothing's going to be perfect.

I went with a Mac because I'd been using my wife's (then my girlfriend) for about a year and working for about six months at a place that used all Macs. I just liked them better than my PC, and I needed something I could run Adobe CS3 on the next year. I felt more comfortable using the software on Mac than PC.

It's just a matter of preference. I'm going to keep mine until it dies, and it works just as great now as it did a year and a half ago when I bought it.

I agree that they are expensive though. It's definitely not the route to go if you're trying to keep costs down in the present, but odds are you'll save yourself money in the long run if you stick with the same computer. My wife had her for five years before her roommate spilled coffee on it.

I'll tell you the best thing to do. Whatever you buy, factor into your budget the couple hundred bucks it costs to get Best Buy's protection plan. No matter what happens--you could put a hammer through it--they'll replace it for the price you paid, with whatever is new. Pretty good deal.

 

Just read somewhere (I'd link it I could remember where I saw it) that big price drops on coming on laptops.

 

Pros: Portable; can carry all your files with you anywhere.
Cons: Usually not as fast as an internal drive (unless you have an eSATA one). And if you're putting one-of-a-kind content on it, it'll need to be backed up as well as the internal HD. Easily lost/stolen.

That said, the WD Passports are small and popular (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=western+digital+passport&x=0&y=0). (Presuming you want something as small as possible.) I have one of the 320GB ones. Should be some good sales coming up in the next month or so, too.

If you just have a few big files that you occasionally need access to, try Dropbox (http://www.getdropbox.com/) or just get a 16GB USB stick. Or burn 'em to a DVD.

 

Just lost me Dell Inspiron today to a water accident via my 5-year old. Sucks big time, so I'm now in the market.

Mine was great for what I needed it for the most, but Vista was a pain in the ass, especially lately. Would freeze up the internet a lot more than it should have at the most inopportune times.

Also, for you Vista folks, there have been several occasions when I would try to file stories from various arenas, but the wireless signal at the venue couldn't crack through Vista for some reason, which proved to be a major pain in the ass.

Did that every happen to everybody else?

 

I'm a Mac guy, but I'm not dogmatic about it. If you have the money, I'd strongly recommend a Mac. If you don't, you'll be just fine with a Windows box.

You will have a very, very hard time killing one of those IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads. They're not the spiffiest or flashiest or cutest machines, but you can absolutely abuse one and it'll keep coming back for more.